Machine for making upholstering-cushions



A,. H. LIGHTER.

MACHINE EUR MAKING UPHOLSTERING cusHloNs.

1,365,041, I Patented Jan. 11,1921. 2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Fig/.1.

APPLICATION FILED APR: I5, I9I9- .IIHHIII INVENT''E A. H. LIGHTER.

MACHINE FOR MAKING UPHOLSTERING CUSHIONS.

APPLICAHON man APR.15, 1919.

1,365,041, Patented Jan. 11,1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

F1' Q. E

INVENTDR UNITED STA'Ig'llQASMPATENT OFFICE.

ADOLPI-I H. LIGHTER, TOLEDO, OHIO.

I MACHINE FOR MAKING UPHOLSTERING-CUSHIONS.

Application filed April 15,

To aZZ /w/Lom it may concern: y

Beit known that I, ADoLPH H. LIGHTER,

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Toledo, in the countyof Lucas and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and usefulMachine for Making Upholstering- Cushins; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact descriptiontof the invention,such as will enable others skilled inthe art to which it appertains tomake and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part ofthis specification.

My invention has for its object to provide a machine whereby cushionedtops or coverings for upholstered seats or backs of automobiles, chairs,couches and the like, may be rapidly made. It has for its objectparticularly a machine for making eflicient and attractive upholsteredcoverings for springs used in seats and backs at a low cost ofproduction.

My invention provides a means whereby the cushioned part of anautomobile seat and back may be made by a gang sewing machine andwhereby the -parts of the cushion may be formed and secured in oneoperation'of the sewing machine.

The invention may be contained instructures of different forms, inasmuchas my invention contemplates changes in details and application and formof embodiment. I have selected one -of such constructions and shalldescribe it hereinafter. The structure selected isillustrated in theaccompanying drawings.

Figure 1 of the drawings illustrates a front view of the gang sewingmachine used in securing the parts of the cushion together. Fig. 2 is aside view vof the structure containing my invention. Figs. 3, 4 and '5illustrate perspective views showing parts broken and 1n section to moreclearly illustrate the details of construction and the mode of operationthereof. Fig. 6 illustrates a sectional view of the cushion after it hasbeen formed in the operation of the machine containing my invention. y

1 indicates a gang sewing machine of the ordinary type and having a formwell known in the art. 'It has a plurality ofk needles 2 that areoperated by.cams 5 lo-- cated on a driving shaft 6 and which are drivenby a suitable pulley 7. Suitable feed lowing edges.

' the plates.

Specification of Letters Patent.y Patented Jan. 11 1921 1919. Serial No.290,123.

I mechanism is operated by the gear wheels 8 that are driven through theoperation of the shaft 9 by the gear wheels 10 and 11. These form nopart of my invention. i

In front of the needles 2 is located a formf -ing guide 12 which ismounted on a shelf -13 proach, at one end of each of the supportingmembers 14, the bedplate 13, that is, one end of the overhanging part islocated higher with respect to the bed plate 13 than the other end. Aplate 15 is placed on the overhanging supportingparts 14 and preferablyextends to the outer 'edges of the supporting parts 14 which preferably4converge toward the needles. A plate 16 is also supported by thesupporting members 14 and in spaced relation with respect to the platel5. Ihe edges of the plates l5 and 16 are located in parallel relationand theleadingedges, with respect to the needles and the movement of thematerial to the needles, are spaced apart considerably more than thefol- The plates 15 and 16 are fluted or corrugated and the corrugationsconverge from the leading edges toward their following edges Eind deepenas they approach the following edges. The corrugations 17 of the platesare located in parallel plate fit the corrugations inthe other plate land so as to leave between the corrugations otheras the corrugationsbecome more pro'- nounced. Near the leading edges the plates are flatand their surfaces are plane while in the following edges the plates aredeeply corrugated. The corrugations at the following edges of the)plates are formed in such a way that the concave curvature of theportions of the plates, 4looking from above the plates, is much/sharperthan the convex curvature of the other portions of The relativepositions of the plates are secured by means ofthe thumb relation, thatis, the corrugations of one Y screws 18 and suitable spacing memberssuch as the short sleeves or collars 19. The screws 18 may be threadedinto the supporting members 14 while the` spacing members l 19 arelocated intermediate the plates 15 and 16.

The presser feet`20 of the machinel are located in proximity to thedelivery end of the guide and compressing member 12. They areqlowcatedin" line'with the concave portions of the guide member and thus the'needles 2 that` coact with the presser feet sew their threads throughthe material that is delivered from the guide member at these 12, andbeneath the presser feet 20 while it is being .operated upon by theneedles 2. In forming the cushion, a fabric, such as heavy muslin orcanvas 22, is placed on the bed plate or shelf 13 and suitable fillingmaterial such as cotton or felt or cushion material 23 is placed on thefabic 22. These are placed between the supporting members 14 which formalso guides for the fabric 22 and cushion material 23, as they aredrawnthrough the machine. The plate 15 is placed on the supportingmembers 14 above the cushion material 23 and a'suitable coveringmaterial such as imitation leather or leather 24 vis placed on the plate15.-

The plate 16 is then placed on or above thefcdvering material 24. Thearts are then secured together by means of t e thumbv screws or bolts18. The material 23 is thusV compressed atthe sharply curved portions orparts of the following edges of the plates -while the materialintermediate these pints is allowed to remain loose, that is,substantially normal thou h it may be compressed somewhat. Also t ecovering material 24 is gatheredalong the -following-edges of theplates, that is, is made to conform to the corrugations'. The materialis started through the machine -beneath the presser feet` 20, and theneedles2, and is fed vand drawn through the machine and while thus beingoperated upon, the cushion material 23 is compressed as it approachesthe following edges of the plates and the covering material 24 isgathered, that is, made to conform to the 'corrugated shape and as themater' l passes-beneath the needles they are sewed, to the fabric 22.fwhereby the 'parts are ses,

cured yin their relative positions. Behind the` needles is located a bar26 that extends across the machine and above the materiah .v It isconnected by parterial -along definite The presser-bar 26 is givenreciprocatory movements 1n crosswise direction by means of the rod 28which is connected to a camstrap 29 operated upon by a suitable camlocated -on the cam shaft 30. The shaft 30 is rotated by means of theshaft 31 which is connected to the shaft 9 by the belt 32 which movesover and connects the pulley wheels 33, one located on the shaft 9 andthe otheron the shaft 31. Rotation of the shaft 30 causes thepresser-bar 26 to move down against the top of the corrugations formed4in the material when they ha've been selooking from behind the machine.fWhen4 the elevated portions ofthe cushion asdelivered from the needleshave thus been folded down, so as to cause'an overlapping of parts ofthe covering material 24 bythe i operation of `the presser-bar 26 thecushion is passed beneath `a roller 34 which not only operates to makemore perfect the folds but also operates to draw the material throughthe ide and compresser member 12 and beneath the needles 2. The roller34 is operated by any suitable means such as the4 worm gears 35 whichare in turn operated bythe shaft 31. The folding down o f the coveringmaterial covers the row of stitches used in' sewing the parts together.If the folding of the vparts between the rows of 'stitches is omittedthe parts'will' however,

in use and even in stretching the material over the springs, flattenslightlyand spread so as to close over the stitches and-then practicallycover the stitches. As the material is delivered from beneath theroller34 itma be rolled up'by any suitable means and'subse uently may.be cut in suitable lengths an .widths according to the sizes of theseats or backs or otherpartsthat are to be upholstered.

1. In combination with a gang sewing ma` chine, a guide member having apair of plates the plates having couver ing corrugations and located inspaced re ation with respect to each other, a bed platefor sup--.porting theplates, the lower plate located in spaced relation withrespect to the bed plate.

.2. In combination with a gang sewing ma-V chine, means for compressinga cushion maneedles of. the sewing machine, and means for directing asheet material over the compressed cushion material.

3; In combination with agang sewingmachine, means for compressing acushion mate'rlal along definite lines in line with the 'zlallelwlinks27 to the frameof the-machine. needles of 'the sewing machine, meansAfor ines in line.. with the iso' directing a sheet material over thecompressed cushion material, and gathering the sheet material to causeit to conform to the sinuous surface of the cushion material produced bycompressing the cushion material alon'g definite lines.

4. In combination with a gang sewing machine, a bed plate, a pair ofplates .having convergingv corrugations located in 'spaced relation toeach other and also with respect to the bed plate and operating tocompress a cushion material passing beneath the plates and to feed asheet material over the cushion material and to gather the sheetmaterial to cause it to conform to the surface pro plates the plateshaving converging corrul gations and located in spaced relation withterial along definite lines in line withthe needles of the sewingmachine and means for directing a sheet material over the come,

pressed cushion material, means for foldingv by lateral 4movement the`portions of tlfe sheet material intermediate the lines of sewing.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name to thisspecification.

ADoLPH H. LIGHTER.

